LESSON 9
FRAMEBURST ACADEMY
Too Long; Drew & Rendered 😄 (TL;DR)
This is a pun, not a command. Movement is not just about going from one place to another. How fast something moves, how it starts, and how it stops creates feeling. In this lesson, you will learn how simple changes in speed and timing can make movement feel light, heavy, happy, tired, or angry – even with very simple drawings.
Weight, Speed, and Feeling
(Why Movement Has Emotion)
Movement Always Tells a Story 
Even without words, movement speaks.
Think about this:
- A slow walk feels tired.
- A fast walk feels excited.
- A sudden stop feels shocked.
Nothing changed except how it moved.
That is emotion in animation.
Light Things Move Differently Than Heavy Things:
Imagine:
- A rock
- A balloon
If both fall, they won’t move the same way.
Why?
Because your brain understands weight.
Light things:
- Start moving quickly
- Stop softly
Heavy things:
- start slowly
- stop with force
Animation copies what life already teaches us.
Speed Changes Meaning:
Speed is powerful.
- Slow movement feels careful or tired.
- Medium movement feels normal.
- Fast movement feels excited, scared, or angry.
You do not need new drawings to change emotion.
You just change how fast things move.
Starting and Stopping Creates Feeling:
Pay attention to how things begin and end.
- A slow stop feels calm.
- A soft start feels gentle.
- A hard stop feels strong.
- A sudden start feels surprising.
Even simple shapes feel alive when their starts and stops feel right.
Pauses Are Part of Movement:
A pause is not “nothing”.
A pause:
- Creates clarity
- Builds anticipation
- Lets emotion sink in
In story-time animation, pauses are extremely powerful.
Sometimes the best movement is waiting.
Why This Matters for Story-Time Animation?
Story-time animation is not action-heavy.
It is emotion-heavy.
Small movements:
- Head tilts
- Slow nods
- Gentle hand motions
These make the audience feel something without distraction.
You do not need to animate everything – just the right things.
Simple Observation Exercise:
Watch someone pick up an object today.
Notice:
- How they lift.
- How they stop.
- How they grab.
- How they reach.
That is weight and feeling in motion.
You are training your animator eyes again.
You Are Learning the Language of Motion:
At this stage, something important is happening.
You are no longer thinking:
“How do I animate?”
You are starting to think:
“How should this feel?”
That’s the shift from beginner to animator thinking.
What’s Coming Next?
In the next lesson, we will make movement repeat smoothly – walking, waving, nodding – without confusion.
This is where animation starts to feel usable and fun. See you until the next summon.
Excellent work and excellent article. Keep it up and keep up all the excellent work
Thank you so much! I really appreciate your support and kind words. It means a lot and motivates me to keep creating more helpful content.
I am highly contened that I have such an awesome talented blog writer who makes it extremely temeely easy for any one interested in this diverse software to learn alot of hidden things
Wow, thank you so much for your incredibly kind words! I’m thrilled to hear that you find the content helpful and easy to follow. Your encouragement truly means a lot and motivates me to keep sharing useful tips and insights.
You’ve provided an in-depth exploration of various traditional animation techniques, highlighting their evolution and significance in the industry. From the early days of hand-drawn animation to the modern era of computer-generated imagery (CGI), you’ve covered a wide range of methods used to bring characters and stories to life.
Traditional Animation (Cel Animation): This method involves hand-drawing each frame on transparent paper, allowing for independent movement of characters and objects against a stationary background.
Stop Motion Animation: Utilizing real objects and puppets, stop motion involves capturing still images of subtle movements, creating the illusion of motion when played sequentially.
Tim Burton’s Style Animation: Recognizable for its dark themes, distinct character designs, and play with light and shadow, Tim Burton’s style has become iconic in the animation industry.
Flipbook Animation: A simple yet effective method where drawings are made on separate pages and flipped rapidly to create the illusion of motion.
Stereography/Kinegram/Picket-Fence/Barrier-Grid Animation: Involves moving a striped transparent overlay across an abstract drawing to create the illusion of movement, also known as barrier-grid animation.
Praxinoscope/Zoetrope Animation: An early animation technique dating back to 180 BC, where sequential drawings are placed inside a rotating drum, creating the illusion of motion when viewed through slots.
Draw-on-Film Animation: Frames are drawn directly onto movie film, offering a unique and inexpensive method of animation production.
Pinscreen Animation: Utilizes a vertical screen covered in pins that extend to create shapes when pressed, resulting in intricate shadow play.
Live Action Mixed with Animation: Combines live-action footage with animated elements to create immersive and visually striking scenes.
Realistic Animation: Blurs the lines between traditional cartoons and human actor-driven movies, often integrating real-life scenarios with animated characters.
Paint-on-Glass Animation: Invented by animator Caroline Leaf, this technique involves painting directly onto glass with oil paints to create each frame of animation.
Sand Animation: Involves pouring and manipulating sand on a bright surface to create 2D images, offering a unique and visually captivating form of animation.
Your summary provides a comprehensive overview of these animation techniques, their historical context, and their relevance in modern animation production. It’s clear that while technology has advanced, these traditional methods continue to inspire and influence contemporary animation practices.
Too good! Mr. Barry 🙂
Thank you so much for your wonderful words! I truly appreciate the time you took to read through and share such detailed feedback. It’s amazing how traditional animation techniques continue to shape modern storytelling — a perfect blend of history and innovation. I’m glad you enjoyed the post and found the exploration meaningful! Your encouragement really keeps me motivated to create more content like this.
Your recent blog post on basic shapes is truly outstanding. Your concise summary effectively captures the essence of drawing anything and its significance across various industries. Your breakdown of the 8 shapes 2D and 3D, with a special focus on drawing something, provides valuable insights into the essential production technique.
I particularly appreciate your emphasis on the importance of practicing the basic shapes: circle, square and cylinder in enhancing the overall video experience and its applications in crafting and animating. Your clear and engaging writing style makes the content accessible to readers of all levels of expertise.
Keep up the fantastic work, and I look forward to reading more of your insightful content in the future!
Thank you so much for your thoughtful and encouraging feedback! I’m really glad you found the post insightful and appreciated the focus on fundamental shapes and their role in drawing, design, and animation. Mastering these basics truly forms the foundation for creating anything — from simple sketches to complex visual stories. Your kind words mean a lot and inspire me to keep sharing more content that helps artists see and build the world through construction and creativity. Stay tuned — there’s much more to come!
Amazing article thrilled and honoured to learn from this masterpiece content of information.
I appreciate your lovely comment. I am also happy that you liked my post and found it fascinating to learn from. Glad to hear you think like that about my blog.
Once again Takzi. You have done an exceptional job in highlighting all the key points and more so importantly given your fellow fans a plethora of knowledge. Man absolutely electrified by your article. Furthermore had a question from you as a fan what is your name of your fan base?
Thank you so much, Impeccable [Awesome name, by the way]! I’m so glad to hear that you liked my blog! My fan-base are called “Takzmanians” and you are a big part of that. I love sharing all the cool things I know with you. It makes me super eager to know you are enjoying reading the blog post that I provide!
If you have any more queries or just want to say hello, feel free to ask! Takzmania Forever!